How to prevent online learning from ruining your reputation

As more students sign up for online classes, it’s up to reputable online proctoring companies to ensure that test-takers have integrity and authenticity

By the end of 2014, 80 percent of higher education students are expected to take some or all of their classes online, according to Pulp-PR’s recent infographic —and statistics like that make online proctoring providers very happy.

Cheating can lead to a “slow erosion” of a school’s reputation, said Jarrod Morgan, executive vice president of an online proctoring company ProctorU.

Educators have become more concerned about online cheating with the expansion of online learning, as millions of students around the globe sit down to take exams online without anyone to monitor them.

“How are we going to know that the person taking the test is a person taking the class?” said Dr. W. Andrew McCollough, associate provost for teaching and technology at the University of Florida. “Faculty are worried about that.”

In response to these concerns of student integrity, the remote proctoring industry burst on to the scene. Instead of students spending time and money traveling to a regional testing center, online proctoring allows them to take tests wherever and whenever they want.